Once a month, the Simms/Mann–UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology presents Insights Into Cancer, a free public lecture series for cancer patients, their families and the community. Each lecture features a leading professional who provides up-to-date information, practical advice and answers to cancer-related questions.

September 9, 2014 Breast Cancer Treatment—Past, Present and Future

In a given year, over 200,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with breast cancer, and over 40,000 women die of their disease. These numbers are large, but we can take comfort in knowing that death rates from breast cancer have been declining over the past several decades, largely due to the evolving ability to treat breast cancers differently, based on their individual characteristics. Breast cancer is not one disease, but rather several different diseases. An effective treatment plan must be personalized, to both the individual and to her specific type of breast cancer. Rena Callahan, M.D., will review breast cancer treatment then, now, and in the future in a way that is easy to understand so that patients and their families are armed with information to ensure they have the most current and effective treatment plan.

Rena Callahan, M.D., is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA. She attended Yale University for undergraduate study, and later attended the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine where she graduated with high honors, Alpha Omega Alpha. She completed her Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology training at UCLA. She is now a member of the UCLA hematology oncology faculty and is active in the breast cancer research program. Her time is spent seeing patients on and off clinical trials. Dr. Callahan’s other interests include integrating complementary therapies with Western evidence-based medicine.